Pennsylvania Books

I have read all five of Mariam's Journals and enjoyed them all. I felt like I was part of her family.Carrie Bender done an excellent job. I like to hear about the Omnish People. Their beleif is similar to mine.Great job, Carrie Bender

I love this book,it is my favorite of all the her stories. It was the first one that I read 6 to 7 years ago. Since that time I have read everyone of her books, except for this last one that I just found. It was this book that started me on reading all these Amish books. Went on to read all of Borntrager series, plus Beverly Lewis books. Again I`ve read all hers except the last two which one I am starting now. I have nothing but pure raves for all of Carrie Benders books. Read them you will surely enjoy, happy reading.

Its very rare to come across such a well researched AND well written novel. The author has lived in close proximity to the actual places where the action of the novel takes place. I commend him on doing such fine work making the subject matter and the belief systems of the protagonists both accessible and illuminating to ones own spiritual work. This novel can therefore be read on several levels. I believe any student of mysticism and especially of the Rosicrucian, Sufi and Martinist varieties will find great nourishment here. Kelpius the main character who at a very young age was chosen to lead an early migration of free thinkers and mystics on their migration to the the New World is largely unknown. I think he would have been very happy with this account of his life and interaction with the wide milieu of characters from the time of his youth in Transylvania and Germany and his sensitive meeting withe native americans and local ruffian elements in Pennsylvania. I was particularly impressed by the author's ability to weave elements from a diverse number of sources into a cohesive whole. I recommend this book very highly both for its well written storyline, which is very inspirational since in a sense every mystic is also laboring in a wilderness surrounded by ignorance and self promotion as well as for the deep research which is intelligently presented.

What a strange and extraordinary new book.

With it's seekers of knowledge and true wisdom, secret societies, Old Europe science, New World adventures, mystics meditating in Pennsylvania caves, genuine history and examinations of the nature of intolerance, rigidity and fear, this book is like nothing I've yet read.

Toss in a hefty dose of alchemical/astrological/astronomical mysteries (such as the curious and remarkable Holographicum, an instrument that no less than Benjamin Franklin comes to inherit, and is actually on public display in an obscure museum in Philadelphia today), and I think this is a recipe for a blockbuster, break-out book.

I appreciated author Scott's final notes, untangling factual events from fictional narrative. The depth of research into a multitude of obscure topics is evident.

I'm not certain how to categorize this historical novel, but I read it straight through in a weekend, cover to cover.

Perhaps it is best not pigeonholed, but left to speak for itself. That, in itself, seems to be one of the driving points of the book.

The book is an excellent collection of cutting edge writing on women.

Further, anything written by Susan Slyomovics is spellbinding. I have become quite a fan of her publications. She has a unique viewpoint; she allows her sensitivity to culture of the Middle East and her own humanity to shine through her academic production. Another writer like this is Michael Sells. It has been a long time coming.

Women and Power in the Middle East provides college-level audiences with seventeen essays which analyze the social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping gender systems in the Mid-East and North Africa. These appeared at different times in the journal Middle East Report, and outline changing roles women have played in the politics of the region, when and why they mobilize, and how movements and politics affect their lives. Recommended for any collection strong in women's or Middle East history.

This is a great example of how to do a modern ethnography. Many of the methods texts dealing with ethnographies fail to provide any useful advice on the topic. This book does not offer advice, but rather a very successful model of what to do. So, you could say that it informs by example. Aside from that particular benefit, the book is a great read and source of useful insights into how communities construct an image to maintain their viability.

Often when people think about folklore, they picture quaint villages populated by storytellers and quilters. John Dorst seeks to dispel those stereotypes with his postmodern analysis of the hidden ideology and power behind the serene façade of a middle-class elite suburb, in this case, Chadds Ford, PA, home of the Wyeth family of artists. In doing so, he pushes folklore studies into an intriguing new direction. The Written Suburb introduces 4 key concepts: 1.) post-ethnography-the reading of institutions, printed materials, and events such as museums, historical societies, arts and crafts festivals, diner menus, and AAA brochures as postmodern texts; 2.) postmodern vernacular-a particular "dialect" of postmodernity characterized by self-reference without the ironic sense of humor as found in MTV and comic books; 3.) auto-ethnography-the self-generated texts of a literate society capable of observing itself. The folklorist's job is to collect and read critically these texts; and 4.) Site-a suburb as an assemblage of texts and ideology. Dorst also questions the rhetoric behind museums (in this case the Brandywine River Museum) and the concept of tradition. The unique combination of the works of postmodernists and semiotics scholars such as Frederic Jameson and Dean MacCannel with American folklore scholarship is truly stimulating.

Being so theoretical, The Written Suburb is not an easy book to read, nor can its concepts be easily grasped in one reading. But it is a valuable book for folklorists who are serious about the evolution of the discipline and who enjoy finding connections between folkloristics and postmodernism.

A must read for anyone interested in public education. Joe Batory gives the reader an insiders look about what really happens in the day-to-day life of a superintendent. Joe's love and concern for children comes alive in this book. As a member of the Upper Darby School Board who served with Joe, it is a pleasure to recommend this book. This outspoken educator took on all critics of public education to advance the cause of public education.

A must read for anyone interested in public education. Joe Batory gives the reader an insiders look about what really happens in the day-to-day life of a superintendent. Joe's love and concern for children comes alive in this book. As a member of the Upper Darby School Board who served with Joe, it is a pleasure to recommend this book. This outspoken educator took on all critics of public education to advance the cause of public education.

This book is a careful examination of a longstanding area in philosophy that nonetheless has tended to be consigned to the margins: the relationship between philosophy and art. This is so partly because, traditionally, each are seen as challenging the other, and at times, even demanding to threaten one another's very defining substance (or at least, status). Yet John Lysaker shows how they can enrich one another. If one allows oneself to be taken up by the text, addressed by it, Lysaker shows how philosophy can be used to illuminate just how it is that certain works of art lay claim to our lives and, if we're open to it, significantly change our lives as well.

Lysaker leads readers through a philosophical exploration into the workings of poetry in a way that, through the birth of sense, challenges the very borders of philosophical thought. Subtle and powerful.

The last major history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood, David G. McCullough's marvelous 'The Johnstown Flood,' arrived in 1968. Since then, a wealth of new materials has surfaced, which caused a need for a new history of the Flood. Dr. McGough succeeds marvelously with this book.

New documents and photographs from the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club have helped us understand this exclusive retreat a bit more and its role in the 1889 Flood. McGough's reevaluation of several important points of the story made me look at these points from different perspectives. If you're interested in a delightful analysis of the Flood's impact on popular culture, then this is the book for you.

This book is highly recommended for anybody interested in the 1889 Flood and the times in which it occurred. It deserves a place next to Mr. McCullough's book on your bookshelf.

Dr. McGough should be proud of his achievement.

this is a large spiralbound cookbook with recipes from cooks all over the state of pennsylvania,I have several grange cookbooks from other states, but this is the best....it has EVERYTHING

I have all the cookbooks issued by the Pennsylvania State Grange and this is absolutely, positively, the best book, without a doubt. I have used this cookbook for classic Pennsylvania cooking, and every recipe is a winner!

My book is worn and tattered, but I refuse to give it up, thinking "How would I cook without it?" My family would dis-own me if I lost this cookbook.

The Pennsylvania State Grange 1992 green-covered cookbook is loaded with real tasty treats. With over 430 pages filled with recipes submitted by members from across the state, the cookbook truly has something for everyone: No course is left unaddressed, no taste goes unsatisfied. Its best quality, however, is that the recipes, as stated in the dedication, are time-tested. No need to reinvent the wheel when you are already dealing with a Rolls Royce! Other interesting features are charts and graphs demonstrating cooking equivalents, food substitions, a bread and cake baking guide and no-salt seasonings. From its wide recipe diversity to an index that lists each recipe by food group and its corresponding page number, this cookbook is excellent for everyone from the beginning novice to the most seasoned chefs. Bon appetite, Pennsylvania State Grange!